I.— Sa

12

"Old-man's beard," which grows on the branches of trees, or on the posts of the fences, and suchlike sheltered spots ; but in the summer it comes out, and very soon wipes out the American blight, so that that blight gives us very little trouble. I only hope the "lady-bird" will last. I have tried syringing with sheep-dips for pests in the summer. I have found them good, but then you have at that season of the year (November), when the young scale is moving, generally enough to do without resorting to that. 8. Mr. Buchanan.'] What sort of sheep-dip did you use?— Little's. You require to use one part of the dip to fifty parts of water. 9. Hon. the Chairman.] Do you approve of the provisions of this Bill ?—When I first looked through it I did not like clause 3, but since I have read the Bill through more carefully I do not see so much objection to it; I think it is immaterial. I thought that the whole country should be under the same law, but now that I have read through the whole Bill I do not see that there is very much in this clause. 10. Do you approve of the Bill generally ? —I approve of it as a whole, but there are some things that I should like to see done. I may say that we suffer very much from mothy fruit being allowed to be shipped to the markets from other places. For example, Shiells and Co. state in their weekly market report: " Market crowded with inferior and mothy lots." Again, "Bad-conditioned are still far too plentiful, and, though good varieties are scarce, they do not command the price they ought to on account of the rubbishy lots being so plentiful." I have here also reports from the Otago Fruit and Produce Agency to the like effect. Then, again, the same firm report: "Some Auckland shipments have been badly affected with codlin-rnotli." I may say, also, that I have private correspondence—letters in dozens—complaining of the codlin-rnoth being brought down, to the injury of the general market. The cases of this infected fruit are sold at, say, 2s. 6d. or Is. each when cases of good fruit are fetching 6s. or more. Again, it affects us in this way : that the cases which have brought this infected fruit may be sent to us as returned cases. There is a regular migration of old cases going on in New Zealand. I dare not allow a case to be used on my place that has been used a second time now. I have to put my fruit in entirely new cases, and then I dare not even get my own cases back. Some of my own cases went to Christchurch, and they were sold by the auctioneer at 3s. a dozen, and they came back to the Dunedin market with other persons' fruit in them. In that way a great injustice is done to us. We have to buy entirely new cases, and we cannot get the market to allow us anything for our cases. What I should like to see included in the Bill is a clause making it compulsory for every one to use new cases, or, at any rate, for the Government ceasing to encourage the use of old cases by carrying them free. I think it is very wrong that encouragement should be given in this way by the Government to disseminate disease from one end of New Zealand to the other. 11. In what way do you mean? —By their carrying empty return-cases for nothing. 12. Hon. Mr. Larnach.] What about districts in which there is no timber ?—The railway carries new cases from the factory free. 13. But what about districts where there are no railways ?—You could get your cases from the sawmillers in Dunedin, and they would send them as far as the railway went for nothing, and then you could get them to your place as cheaply as old cases—cheaper if you buy them in the " shook." 14. Hon. the Chairman.] What provision would you like to see ? —lf it were within the scope of the Bill to make it compulsory for buyers to be charged 3d. or 6d. for the case it would be sufficient. 15. Could you not do that yourselves?—We are so situated that we cannot combine and make a stand. Prom want of combination we cannot force people to pay for the cases. I only want to protest strongly against the carriage of returned cases on any conditions. I think it is impossible that you can keep out disease when you are carrying return-cases in this way from one end of New Zealand to the other. 16. Mr. Buchanan.] What is the difference between the prices of new and old cases ?— I give Bd. for my new cases, and I was offered from 3s. to 3s. 6d. a dozen for old ones at Dunedin this last season. That, of course, is a temptation for people to go in for them, but Ido not think it pays in the.long run. 17. Does the Bd. per case mean delivered at your own place?—No; delivered at the railwaystation. They are carried free on the railway. I happen to be twelve miles from the railwaystation, and have to carry them that distance myself. I believe they could be got cheaper, but that is what I have to pay for mine. 18. Mr. Symes.] Have you a brand for your cases ? —I generally use a label with my name on it and the description of fruit that the case contains. 19. Is that the general mode?—lt is not very general, I think. 20. You do that to insure that somebody else does not use the cases? —Yes. If I were to put W.B. or some other brand with simply initials on the cases somebody else might use them. 21. And you might get the credit of supplying diseased fruit?— Yes. 22. It is very important to prevent that, is it not ? —Yes. Mr. C. Pickering examined. 23. Hon. the Chairman.] What is your profession ?—I am an engineer by trade, but I have 3J acres of orchard. 24. Where do you reside ?—At Palmerston North. 25. Will you tell the Committee what experience you have had in fruit-culture, and in dealing with fruit-pests, and especially the codlin-moth ? —I will endeavour to do so. In the first place, I am perfectly well satisfied that spraying is necessary. I have used sprays very successfully, and in fighting the codlin-rnoth I think that no man with a proper system of spraying should lose more than 5 per cent, of his fruit from that pest; but unless something is done to compel every one to